The Kan-ed project developed an Excel spreadsheet with interactive growth curves. It allows students to change environmental conditions, media composition, organism, and inoculum size. There is also a Kan-ed narrated slide show on microbial growth curves.
The downside of using yeast is that the media likely has to be sterilized. Perhaps we can do some of the same types of activities using Lactobacillus acidophilus (available as tablets in the supermarket). The media could likely be made acidic enough that sterilization may not be necesssary (but we'd have to test this).
The Kan-ed project developed an Excel spreadsheet with interactive growth curves. It allows students to change environmental conditions, media composition, organism, and inoculum size. There is also a Kan-ed narrated slide show on microbial growth curves.
The downside of using yeast is that the media likely has to be sterilized. Perhaps we can do some of the same types of activities using Lactobacillus acidophilus (available as tablets in the supermarket). The media could likely be made acidic enough that sterilization may not be necesssary (but we'd have to test this).